Comrades runner generates cyber fan base

EVIDENCE Mwando has become an overnight internet sensation following running his third Comrades Marathon this year, which he finished in eight hours and 11 minutes.

According to Guy Cluver, one of the owners of Bellevue Café in Kloof, he met Evidence at the Bellevue Campus where he had been employed as the body corporate’s head groundsman since 2011. He described Evidence as a man of many talents and enjoyed chatting to him about running occasionally.

Chris Black, the co-owner of Bellevue Café, joined Cluver in sponsoring Evidence in his race this year. They paid his race entry and bought him training shoes and race shoes.

“When we purchased Evidence’s race shoes, I posted a picture of the two of us and the shoes to wish him good luck on our Facebook page. Jonathan Akal, who works for Get Fit Athletics Club in Gillitts, enquired if Evidence was part of a running club and, if not, offered to enrol him free of charge. That post received 357 likes and 22 comments, which is more than we’ve seen our page in the past, and Evidence became an overnight internet sensation,” said Cluver.

The 36-year-old Zimbabwean was delighted and received his free kit in February and continued with his training for the Comrades. Due to an ankle injury Cluver wasn’t able to participate this year, however, he and his wife, Shelley, transported Evidence to the start of the race and supported him all the way through. The night after the Comrades, the Cluvers posted more pictures of Evidence at the start and end of the race as well as his qualifying time, 8:11:06, which received 984 likes and 40 comments.

“When we dropped him off at home, he said, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’. I thought he was joking, but when I got to work the next day at 6am, Evidence was already at work. He wasn’t even stiff, he was bouncing around, and of course I lost my bet and had to buy him lunch,” said Cluver.

Cluver posted another picture of Evidence with his steak sandwich and Coke, which received 27 576 likes and more than 1 000 comments from as far away as Scotland and Spain, and a phone call from Dubai to congratulate him.

Paul Kraus wrote: “Now this is ‘Evidence’ that the right attitude goes a very long way! When I met this man a number of years back I was running for leisure on a Sunday afternoon and he was running home from the part-time building labour work he had been doing in the Highway area. He politely slowed down when approaching me from behind in his safety boots and overall, we greeted one another, and then ran together for the next 5km and became acquainted. We went on to become business colleagues and church friends, and I am godfather to his son, Paul.”

Mwando said its a real honour. “I never dreamt of this sensation or popularity. I first heard about the Comrades Marathon when I came to SA in 2008, and immediately wanted to get involved,” added Mwando.

He plans to run the Comrades Marathon again next year with Cluver, and is aiming for a silver medal. He said none of this could have been possible without God and the assistance and encouragement from people like Guy and Shelley Cluver, Jonathan Akal and Paul Kraus – his best friend.